Crossing the River Jordan was an incredibly significant day. Finally God’s people were arriving in the land that He had promised them. I remember watching people from East Berlin crossing over the wall that was being torn down after more than forty years of communist rule. Many families had been abruptly separated when the Berlin wall divided a nation. The excitement was tangible and there was a recognition that finally there was justice: they could return to their land. The Israelites had longed for the day to claim their land for hundreds of years. Unlike the East Germans who were dictated to under communist rule, the Jews had been the slaves of the Egyptians. Subsequently they had been wandering in the desert for 40 years as God trained them to obey and follow Him.

The arrival into the land that God had promised them (constituting modern day Israel and beyond) could not be a haphazard, disorganized event. They had to cross the River Jordan that was in flood stage and then the goal was to defeat the people living in the cities so that it could truly become their nation. This was not to be any nation. It was God’s people, in God’s place, to live for God’s purposes.

The River Jordan was parted by God

It was appropriate that God’s people should be led by God and this is why the priests, carrying the ark of the covenant, where God was present, (see my blog about the Ark of the Covenant) went ahead of the Israelites. The people were told to keep a distance of about a thousand yards from the ark and were warned not to go near it. The power of God is tremendous. Trifling with Him was and is dangerous. Joshua encouraged the people that the parting of the river would show “that the living God is among you” (Joshua 3:10) and that He would drive out all the people groups currently living in the land that God had promised to them.

What does consecrate mean?

It was essential that the Israelites should be led by God but it was also essential that His people should be clean and pure. Joshua told them before their departure,”Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.” This involved a purification ceremony, which in essence showed them the importance of approaching God with a pure heart.

A covenant is a two way agreement or promise. God always keeps His promises but we need to be constantly reminded of the response He requires of us. To consecrate themselves to God, His people, the Israelites had to be cleansed, through an outward display of ritual washing. Also offering sacrifices was usually part of this cleansing process. The most significant sacrifice involved the shedding of the blood of an animal, reminding them that without the shedding of blood there could be no forgiveness of sins.

God’s people had to be holy, to be set apart, forgiven and pure. The Israelites, who after years of wandering in the desert, learning to obey God, were finally ready to enter God’s land. They had consecrated themselves to God and they were to follow the ark which was filled with God’s presence, and He led them. There was no question of them running ahead of God. They had to follow His instructions relayed by Joshua, and contained in the ark of the covenant. When they were unclean or messed up they had to consecrate themselves.

It was God who parted the river and led his people

Joshua and his followers were living before Jesus arrived on the scene and much of our religious practices as Christians have changed as a result of Christ’s ultimate and final sacrifice. He has liberated the believer from the power of sin once and for all. However, the important principles have not changed: God is in charge and we must follow Him obediently. The ark (with God present) led the people, showing them the way to go. At the river, the priests carrying the ark on poles had to touch the water’s edge with their feet, before God performed a miracle, then, “the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away….while the water flowing down to the Sea of Arabah (the Salt Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho.” (Joshua 3:16) The priests stood on dry land in the center of the river, holding the ark of the covenant until everyone had crossed.

Christians are Highly Regarded by Jesus: We are a “holy nation” and “a royal priesthood”

The priests had to move forward in faith, trusting in God for His words to be fulfilled. Similarly we are expected to have faith, despite what things look liked. The swirling, deep water was threatening, like so much that we face today, but we must trust that God is in control, keeping His promises. Since Christ came, the opportunities He offers to His followers are tremendous: We are compared to priests and we are called to be holy : we must also be consecrated and cleaned up through forgiveness. 1 Peter chapter 2 tells us that if we are God’s children, chosen by Him, we “like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”(verse 5) Like the priests at the time of Joshua, we must demonstrate faith and we can draw close to Jesus offering our lives to Him as a sacrifice. Peter continues a few verses later reminding us of the incredible status of being a Christian, given to us by Jesus, not through our own merit: “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.”(verse 9) If you are a Christian do you realize how highly Jesus regards you?

Like the Israelites we must consecrate ourselves to God. We too are his people

God led the Israelites through the river. He dramatically parted the water, ensuring that they could walk through on dry land. God is the one who calls us. He is king, Lord, boss….We are to give Him praise, declaring all that He has done, sharing the good news. We don’t know who will respond to Him but He does. We are expected to be consecrated: cleansed through repentance, forgiveness, living a Holy life, changed by Jesus. At the time of Joshua only the tribe of Levi could be priests: the Levites. We, in contrast, do not have to be from a special family or tribe. We simply have to follow Jesus, who is God: following Him, in faith and obedience, like the Israelites following the ark.

Are we inclined to think that we are not good enough for Jesus? Of course we are not good enough, but He will forgive us and change us. Do we assume that God will only choose those with clean and respectable clothes and white teeth and a good job. My blog post about Rahab the prostitute shows that this is not true. 1 Peter 2:9 reminds us that we were called by God out of darkness into His wonderful light. I might have had clean clothes in my dark life before I became a child of God but I was selfish and proud. Rahab the prostitute probably dressed as a harlot but she recognized the mighty acts of God and she faithfully followed Him and God changed her. Might there be beautiful, clean, charming people who visit churches, but who have not yet trusted God and are still in darkness? I think so.

Please be encouraged that God is God and He does the leading and the calling. We are relatively small and weak, whatever our income or appearance, and we are called to believe, to follow and to obey. We are invited to leave behind a life of sin and darkness to live as children of God leading good, unselfish lives, dedicated to pleasing our Lord: Jesus.

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